Citing from Homesteading the Noosphere:

  • presenting any task as a means rather than an end demotivates (does this answer §:Why aren’t researchers more strategic? )
  • giving people bonuses demotivates
  • giving people rewards “because you value their work” doesn’t demotivate whereas “because they performed well” does.

Is this why Google was so successful following the “we pay you a salary and let you do whatever you want” model? Much like open source, the key to creativity is intrinsic motivation.